"Torija"
I miss playing full pieces from beginning to end. After weeks of learning notes, breaking up pieces into manageable parts, drilling then repeating over and over, I really miss the feeling of musicality when you aren’t learning notes any more, and I can just close my eyes and play. It’s been a while…
All this work is pretty tough on confidence because sometimes progress moves at a turtle’s pace. So I decided to record a piece I learned years ago when I first started to explore classical style. The piece is called “Torija” by F.M Torroba, a 20th century Spanish composer. I’ve literally played it probably hundreds of times and it has become part of my regular repertoire. Hilary and I even do a flute and guitar version that we’ve learned to love. It’s even been requested on several occasions to be performed for our wedding clients.
It feels good to play like this again. It reminds me what I’m capable of with enough time and focus. If I can get my concert rep near this level of comfort, I’ll be in good shape. It would be really special for the audience. It needs to be the benchmark.
-- Noel
